


She's Made Of Black Gold

by ThatDamnKennedyKid



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Duel Monsters is still a thing, F/M, Female Mutou Yuugi, Female Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki, Genderswap, I also use the English dub names for them, because fuck you I guess, but i didn't want to tag them, but in this world, the whole crew shows up at one point or another, they settle stuff with violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-04-27 03:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14416491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDamnKennedyKid/pseuds/ThatDamnKennedyKid
Summary: Yugi's online boyfriend is coming to Japan to visit her. Or, at least, that's all that was supposed to happen.





	1. Her Grace

"So, you've been talking to this guy for a year and we're only hearing about him on the way to the airport?" Tea raised an eyebrow. 

"You make it sound worse than it is." She said, walking through the sliding door and leading the way to Gate 3. 

"No, it's precisely that bad." Joey spoke up.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "And how long did you keep your relationship with Mai a secret, huh?"

"Er, well . . . "

"That's what I thought. To be completely honest, I wasn't really sure this was going to work out. I met him when I went to Egypt with my grandfather a year ago and we hit it off. He suggested that we stay in contact, and we did. I didn't know if it was going to become anything, and I wasn't going to get Tea excited for nothing."

"I wouldn't have bothered your about it!" Tea argued. 

"You set me up on three dates in the last two months."

"Is it illegal to care about you now?"

She laughed. "I never said that, but you are way too involved in my romantic life to not want to meet him."

"Why is he coming to Japan anyway?" Tristan asked. 

"To see me again. Apparently, he has a business meeting somewhere in the middle, but decided that he might as well make a vacation out of it."

"Will he be alone?" Serenity asked. 

"He's bringing some friends with him, if I remember correctly. Three, I think."

"Are you sure it's a wise idea to have them all stay at your apartment?" Tea asked lowly. 

"I know him pretty well. Nothing bad is going to happen, Tea." She promised with a gentle smile. 

"I'm not so sure."

"Well, my grandfather lives just down the street, so even if something does happen, I have a backup plan. You know my apartment is pretty big, too."

"I know, but still."

"I promise, everything is going to be okay." She took her friend's hand, squeezing it. "His family was the one that sponsored us to go down in the first place. He wasn't untoward in Egypt, I doubt he'll be anything other than a gentleman in my country."

Tea puffed out a breath, offering a tense smile. "If you say so, Yugi. My house is always open."

"Thanks, Tea." She bumped their shoulders, then lead them over to a bunch of benches. She glanced up at the arrival log. "They should be here any minute now."

"Yugi?" An accented voice called out. 

They all turned, but she was waving into the crowd. "Atem!  _Over here!_ "

"What did she say?" Joey asked. 

Tea rolled her eyes. "You know she knows Arabic, right? How else do you think she spent four months on a dig site with her grandfather and managed to survive on her own? She also speaks English."

"Yugi, why didn't you tell me? I could have used your help with that tourist the other day." He pouted. 

She was entirely ignoring them, walking out to meet a man in black leather pants, a white linen shirt and a criminal amount of gold. Seriously, all of his accessories were gold: gilded bracers that covered his entire forearm from wrist to elbow, bicep cuffs that looked pretty solid, a thick choker that covered his neck and a bit of his collarbone, a bloody  _crown_ gleaming from between his bangs, not to mention all the jeweled rings and the multiple ear piercings. 

The man caught her in his arms with a beautiful, deep laugh and swung her around. She laughed too, holding onto him. 

"I guess it has been a year since they last saw each other in person." Joey pouted. "But she never greets me like that."

"You're not her boyfriend." Tristan pointed out.

"Shut up."

Serenity snickered, elbowing her brother.

"Not you too."

Two other men emerged from the crowd, similarly dressed, but really tall and broad-shouldered. The tallest man had long brown hair a couple of shades darker than his skin tone, with grey-brown eyes and a sharp set to his mouth. He was wearing an off-white linen shirt, but sleeved, gold peeking out at the wrists and the collar. He wore beige pants, but a translucent white skirt over top embroidered in gold. The slightly smaller man had shorter hair, also brown, but his gaze was a captivatingly bright shade of blue. His cheekbones were very high, narrowing his eyes and making the grim set of his mouth even starker. He wore a blue linen shirt embroidered in gold, but simply beige cargo pants. Gold on his arms, but no earrings or crowns. He seemed the most normal of them all. 

A woman came to stand beside the second man, but she looked markedly different. She was paler than they were, for starters, with washed out blue eyes and white hair that had a blue sheen to it. She had on a simple periwinkle dress with a thin silver belt and black flats. 

The first man set Yugi back down on her own feet, releasing her but keeping close. 

"Guys," Yugi waved them over, "I would like you to meet Atem and his friends, Mahad, Seth and Kisara."

All four dipped their heads respectfully, Kisara giving a little wave as well. 

She switched languages, presumably introducing her friends to Atem and his entourage. Atem spoke back. 

"They said it's nice to meet you and they hope we can all get along, despite the language barrier." Yugi translated. 

"It's nice to meet them as well."

"Are you guys going to meet Duke now?"

Tea looked down at her watch. "Yeah, it's about time to head over."

"Okay, I won't keep you, then." She took Atem's hand and waved to her friends. "Tell him I say hi! I'll see you guys around, okay?"

"Yeah. Be safe, Yugi." Tea implored. 

She laughed in response. "I promise. Bye!"

Kisara waved to them shyly as they passed, Seth reaching back to wrap an arm around her waist.

"I hope this doesn't end badly." Tea muttered to herself. 

Joey laid his hand on her shoulder, more serious now that she was gone. "So do I."

"Your friends seemed nervous." Atem commented once they were out of earshot. 

"I never really mentioned you to them." She admitted, ducking her head bashfully. "I didn't want them to get nosy in case the distance didn't work out."

Atem nodded, smiling softly. "I understand."

"Baggage check is over here." She turned them left, taking them down a large hallway to a rotating trolley. 

"Are you sure it's okay if we stay with you?" He asked, pulling his luggage off the trolley, Seth grabbing Kisara's. 

"Of course. My apartment's got a lot of space, plenty to share. I can't expect you to pay for a hotel room for three months."

"Money is not an issue, I promise. I'd rather you be comfortable."

"Atem, it's okay." She assured, smiling. "I'm a big girl - I know what I'm doing."

He inclined his head to her with a playful smirk. "As you wish."

* * *

On the ride home, they hashed out plans for sleeping arrangements. Seth and Kisara were married, so they would share one of the spare bedrooms, Mahad would get the office/bedroom with the twin bed, and Atem could share her queen bed in the master bedroom.

"I don't mind sharing with you if it would make you more comfortable." Kisara offered. "Seth and Atem are cousins - it would be no hardship for them to room together."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm not gonna make you guys sleep apart. You're married."

"If you're sure." Kisara murmured.

"You can change your mind any time." Seth said. 

"I know you guys are only trying to be nice, but I've got this." She said, a little sterner. "Unless you don't trust Atem to keep his hands to himself without my permission."

"Of course not!" Kisara replied immediately. 

"It's just a little . . . forward." Seth added. 

"It's fine." Mahad cut in, staring the couple down. "Let's not insult our host."

"I'm not insulted." She laughed. "I find their concern touching. Tea was doing the same thing on the ride to the airport. We all don't want to step on each other's toes or cross cultural lines. I know this isn't exactly normal in Egypt, but Atem and I have shared quarters before on site. It's all good."

She pulled up in front of her apartment complex, popping the trunk before going up to unlock the front door. She held it open as they shuffled in, then lead them to the elevator. Her apartment was on floor six, the top floor, and was one of two apartments on that level. It overlooked a good portion of Domino's suburbs and she could see her grandfather's game shop from her living room window. 

"How did you afford this?" Atem asked, gazing out over the city.

"I told you that I play Duel Monsters, right?" 

"Yes, you did mention it."

"Well, I just happen to also be the reigning world champion?"

HIs eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah." She grinned. "I'm  _really_ good at it. I've been the champion for . . . four years now? Maybe longer."

"That's impressive." 

"I have a trophy room just passed the bathroom, if you want to look through them. There's a briefcase full of cards I've won from the Battle City annual tournament in there too."

"I'll have to take a look." He replied, following her to the back of the apartment, where the bedrooms were. 

"This is the spare bedroom, that door there is yours, Mahad, and my bedroom is over here." She guided, opening each door. They laid their luggage down on the bed, Seth and Kisara claiming their sides of the bed. 

"Sorry if you find knick-knacks everywhere, Mahad." She chuckled nervously. "I keep stuff that fans send me in there. I tried to clean it up, but stuff might have escaped my notice."

"I'm not worried." Mahad smiled back. 

"Your home is very lovely." Atem said. 

"Oh! I didn't even think - are you guys hungry?"

"Somewhat." Seth admitted. 

"I'll go get started on dinner, then." She hurried off to the kitchen, calling back to them. "I've got some games and stuff in the cabinet under the tv. Make yourselves at home!"

"She is very open, isn't she?" Kisara commented. 

"Indeed she is." Atem smiled. 

"Be careful." Seth warned. "It might not work out, even after all this effort and time."

"Even if she's not the one, I do not wish to lose her friendship. I cannot lose here."

"We'll see." Seth said, pulling Atem in for a hug. "I hope for the best."

"So do I, cousin."

* * *

Yugi clicked off the light, sliding into bed. She was wearing an oversize flannel shirt. All Atem had on was a triple-layered linen skirt. His crown was on his bedside table, along with his bicep bands. Moonlight filtered into the room, illuminating the gold of their bangs, reflecting the purple in her eyes. 

"You're even more beautiful than I remember." He whispered, staring at her. 

She rolled onto her side, facing him. "You've gotten more handsome. Time in the sun has done you some good, it seems."

He chuckled lowly, his voice vibrating through the bedsprings. "I don't think anything compares to watching you in your element. How lovely you are here, dressed as you desire and acting so natural."

She smiled softly, reaching across to stroke his face. "I'm really happy you came."

He laid his hand over hers, bringing it down to kiss her palm. "I know I've said it before, but I think now it will feel more real, will be more real. I love you."

She shuffled closer and he opened his arms, pulling her in close. He was as warm as desert sand, his calluses catching on the loose material of her sleep shirt. She slipped one of her legs between his, hooking them at the ankle. His one arm wrapped around her waist, the other hand cupping the side of her face and pushing her bangs back. 

"May I?" He whispered, pressing their foreheads together. 

"Yeah." She breathed back, moving easily under his guidance. 

He pulled them together softly, letting her take over the pace. Her initial kisses were soft and chaste, but when his hand slid lower on her waist, she tightened her legs and kissed him sharply, throwing sudden pressure and passion into it. He fell back under her assault, dropping the hand on her face to reach for her thigh. he squeezed it and she moaned into his mouth. He broke away panting, watching her watch his lips. 

"I wasn't expecting that." He admitted, breathless. 

"Is it a bad thing?"

He smirked, sliding up her thigh, to the softer flesh. "Not at all."

She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his head back to mouth and bite at his jaw, pulling a helpless moan from him. He could feel her smirk as she moved up to the spot just under his ear that made him melt. She blew over his ear. 

"I've been thinking about getting my hands on you since you told me you were coming to Japan." She whispered, dropping her hips to grind harshly against his pelvis. He choked, her thigh catching against him. "I was able to control myself before, just the odd dream, but when you told me I would get to see you in person . . . Muy body just went crazy. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since."

"Yugi . . ."

She trailed a hand down his bare chest, pausing over a pectoral muscle and gently squeezing. "You picked me up so effortlessly in the airport, I thought I was going to faint. It took all of my control not to drag you off and have my way with you right then. I could feel every muscle you had through that flimsy fabric, the strength in the way you grabbed my hand."

"If I had of known, I would have assisted you." He rumbled back, pulling her by her ass tight against him. "I could have talked you through some of those lonely nights."

"Oh, I know." She kissed under his jaw, along the line of his necklaces. "But a good Duelist never reveals her hand too soon, plays her cards wisely and has faith in her strategy."

"And what was that strategy, starlight?" He ran his hand up her back, under the shirt, feeling the glide of her smooth skin. 

"I held my moves close to my chest until I had you all to myself." She toyed with his nipple, making his breath jump. "Then I could play my trap card and have you at my mercies."

"So very sneaky, my lovely girl." He looked back down at her, red eyes shining. 

"You don't know the half of it." Her fingers skated along the top of his skirt, playing with the hem and teasing the hidden skin. "I win all my duels with cunning."

Abruptly, he rolled them over, her purple-tinted hair fanning out around her, his bronze body illuminated warmly by moonlight and all of his gold glinting. "What do you do against opponents who use brute force to win?"

She reached up, pulling him down low enough to kiss his lips once more, sliding her hands over the muscles of his shoulders. "I outmanoeuvre them."

"Allow me to reveal my strategy, then." He grinned, lowering himself on top of her and blocking out the moon for the rest of the night.

* * *

* * *

The following weeks passed by in easy camaraderie. Seth and Mahad had a kind of sibling rivalry, always trying to one-up the other. They were sweet men, however. Seth absolutely melted around Kisara. He was always at her side and was free with his affection in a manner he was not with the others. 

Mahad also took a liking to Duel Monsters, liked the strategy and seemed especially keen on the magic cards. He spent one of their days in the park sketching the Dark Magician in various stances, idle and casting magic. Seth and Kisara smiled at each other when they spotted the Blue Eyes White Dragon portrait that hung in her trophy room. 

"It was a gift from Kaiba." She'd chuckled, the memory a fond one. "He gave it to me after beating him in the tenth anniversary Battle City. It's his favourite monster."

They seemed to enjoy the city, taking long moments to simply look at a statue or sit in a park, looking at a fountain. 

"Your city really is beautiful." Atem said, holding her from behind watching the sunset from a secluded grove on the edge of the city. Seth and Kisara were a little bit away with Mahad, who was sketching the sunset with coloured charcoals. 

"I'm glad you like it." She twisted around and kissed his cheek, nuzzling their noses together for a moment. "As it gets darker, you'll get to see all the city lights come on. It's like stars."

He held her tighter, resting his chin on her shoulder. She leant back into him, sighing in satisfaction.

"I know a little diner not far from here. Do you want to go there afterwards?"

"I will go wherever you go." He replied, breath tickling her neck. She shivered and he grinned. 

"You may not be in public, but there is still an audience." 

She flushed in embarrassment, but he just laughed. "Okay, Mahad. No need to get jealous."

"What need have I of jealousy? It's not as if I'm a fifth wheel on a double date or anything." Mahad snarked back, but there was no real bite to his words. 

"Once you're finished your sketch, we're going to get something to eat."

"Okay. I'll hasten."

"Take all the time you need." She called over. "We're not in a rush."

Mahad finished just as the sun vanished on the horizon. They piled into her car, then into the tiny diner. The booths only sat four people, so Seth and Kisara graciously took Mahad with them to the table just behind Atem. 

"What can I get for you guys?" The waitress asked in her native Japanese.

"I'm with some foreign friends, so I'll be ordering for us." Yugi replied, indicating the other three as well. 

"Oh! Of course!" The waitress smiled. 

"We'll have two orders of beef onigiri to start, one for each table, then five orders of squid tempura, please. One for each person."

"Absolutely. Anything to drink?"

"Green tea for me and black tea for the other four."

"Wonderful. I'll be right back." The waitress scuttled off. 

"What were you talking about?" He asked, taking her hand across the table. 

"I just ordered for us. I promise, you'll like it." She said. 

* * *

She walked into the room to find him digging through his suitcase. "Atem?"

He looked up at her, flustered. "Yugi. I think I lost something."

"Hmm? What was it?"

"A golden pyramid, on a leather cord." 

"Oh yeah. It's in the bathroom. I'll grab it for you."

"Yugi-"

She was gone before he could get the warning out. He wouldn't catch her in time. She was going to touch it and she was going to-

He rounded the corner and almost ran right into her. She giggled and held it up to him. "This?"

His mouth hung open in shock. "How . . . ?"

"You left it in there after your shower, but I figured you'd done it on purpose, otherwise I would have put it back with your stuff." She said. 

He reached out, cupping the hands holding the golden pyramid with no difficulty. She wasn't wearing gloves, wasn't just holding the cord. The warm metal was pressed directly into her flesh and doing absolutely nothing. 

"Yugi . . . " He whispered in awe. 

"Are you two okay?" Kisara asked from down the hall. 

"I am, but Atem seems to be having some issues." She replied. 

Kisara padded down the hall, peering over the other woman's shoulder at the frozen Atem. She gasped softly. 

"Was I not supposed to touch it?" She asked, getting more nervous at the silence all around her. 

"It's complicated." Kisara murmured. "Atem, you should put it back on."

He blinked out of his daze, shaking his head. "Right. Of course." He pulled the cord over his head, the pyramid falling out of her hands to thump against his abdomen. 

"I'll get everyone else out." She caught his gaze, her own turning hard. "You have to tell her. Fully. No more dancing around it."

He sighed heavily, burdened. "I know."

"I'm serious. This is significant, to both of you." She left them, rounding up Seth and Mahad from the living room and leaving the apartment. 

"What is she talking about?" Yugi asked, worried now more than ever. 

"Let's sit." He guided them to her couch in the living room. "There is something about myself that I failed to disclose to you."

She nodded, frowning in concern.

He hesitated, then took her hands, staring down at them and the contrast. "You were with your grandfather when we excavated the tomb of Aknadin, yes?"

"Yeah, I was." She didn't understand. He was there too - that was where they met.

"You remember the Eye of Aknamkanon as well?"

"Yes."

He brushed his bangs aside, the sunlight filtering through her curtains catching the crown he wore. "Two thousand years ago, Aknamkanon ordered the creation of several artifacts that possessed incredible power in order to combat a rising evil. In order to banish the evil, he sacrificed his own soul to seal it away. His brother, Aknadin, took over and erased his brother from history so that no one may ever unleash the power. The artifacts, the Millennium Items, were then given to Aknamkanon's most trusted guards, to hide and protect the power."

She glanced at his crown. "You're one of the guards?"

"Yes." He took a deep breath. "We are called Keepers. Each Item chooses a Keeper after the previous one dies, and only that Keeper can touch it. If someone were to try and try to take this from me, it would burn them."

She looked down at their hands too, both distinctly unburnt. "What does this mean, then?"

"In return for becoming the Keeper of an Item, the Item grants the Keeper a soulmate, the only other living being capable of touching the Item. Seth is the Keeper of the Rod, and Kisara is his soulmate. You . . . you are mine."

They locked eyes, his more fearful than she expected. "Kisara said this was significant."

"It is. Kisara isn't Egyptian, she was a tourist who stumbled on Seth after he'd gotten attacked. She took him back to her hotel room and tended him. She was visiting from Austria. Once the soulbond is established, they will haunt each other's mind until they come together. Kisara left her life behind to be with Seth. They are both tied to and through the Millennium Rod."

"What does this mean for us?"

"I don't know." He replied honestly. "We were already drawn together from the moment you entered Egypt."

"Would I have to give up my life? Could you not come to me?"

"It is easiest to protect the Items when they are all together. I cannot stay here the rest of my life, as much as I would like to."

"You're sure about all of this?"

"They are magical. If you were not so, it would not make that mistake." He raised her hand to his mouth, kissing the back of her knuckles. "I won't ask you to uproot your life here. You are very attached to your home and your friends, the very life in which you live. Kisara was a traveller, not grounded anywhere. All I ask is that you think about what to do next, where we go from here. I don't need an answer now, or even by the end of my stay. Just let me know how you would like to continue, once you decide."

"What will that be like for you?"

"Yugi." He gazed sadly at her. "My path in life was chosen before I was born. This is who and what I am. I cannot abandon it, even if I wanted to."

"I'll think about it."

"Thank you." He pulled her into a hug, savouring the feeling of holding her close. It's possible, that when this brief vacation comes to a close, that it will be the last time he ever gets to hold her again. He doesn't want this to end, and he knows she doesn't either, but this decision will change her life. It will dictate the course of the rest of her life. 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Her Majesty

"Are you sure you don't wish to join us?" Kisara asked. 

"No. I think I will simply visit the park." He waved them off, turning away. He could feel Seth's stare, but ignored it. He didn't need Seth to make him feel more petulant than he already knew he was being. 

He went to the very edge of his favourite park, sitting on the edge of the grass and letting his legs dangle out over the water. Domino Bay stretched out before him, the Pacific Ocean on the horizon. It was a quiet place, a simple place, and it let him feel his magic more thoroughly. It let him cleanse himself of childish thoughts and feelings like jealousy and envy. 

Objectively, he knew his Item would bring him his soulmate one day. No Keeper had ever gone without their soulmate. Some took them later in life, some grew up side by side with them. But, eventually, they would always find their way to each other. It was just unfortunate that he seemed to be the late bloomer in this generation. Isis with her Necklace had grown up with her wife, the two best friends and childhood lovers. Karim with his Scale had his husband, a nomad from Lybia, who he'd met in his teens while riding his horse. Marik with his Eye had saved his husband Ryou from the Nile the day after he turned twenty. Shadar with his Key had been in love with his wife Mana from the day he saw her, but had only been brave enough to ask her out after she'd become Mahad's apprentice. Even Seth with his Rod was married, Kisara a wonderfully calming influence. 

Now Atem, his only other lone Keeper, had found the one meant to be. Mahad had never been last in anything but this.

He gazed down at his Ring, trying to understand why it was taking so long. If this was a punishment, a test of some kind. It wouldn't be the first time the Items had done this to a Keeper, had made them suffer for a misdeed. In the past, if the Item believed itself threatened, it was known to have killed its Keeper to pass onto a new one. 

"That's no kind of face to be making on a day this gorgeous."

He almost jolted in surprise when a young woman dropped down next to him. She was comparatively pale, like all the Japanese people were, with brown hair and whiskey-dark eyes. She was wearing white skinny jeans with a plain black shirt and a black denim jacket. Her hair was short, only down to her shoulders, but it suited the messy bangs she had. 

"Pardon?" She'd spoken to him in Japanese, but he was still no good with the language. 

She blinked at him, suddenly switching to Arabic. "Can you understand this?"

"Yes, I can." He blinked at her, baffled. "How do you know a language so far from home?"

She laughed. "When I was too little to be legally left at home, they carted me all over the place. We would stay somewhere for four, five months at a time. I learned a lot of languages, though I don't keep up on all of them."

"And you keep up on Arabic?"

She shrugged. "I was going through the origins of Duel Monsters and I just found it was easier to read the Arabic notes than the ones sloppily translated into Japanese or English. You can thank all the studying I've been doing to get into the Academy for why I can talk to you."

"I suppose so."

"I'm Jaden, by the way. Jaden Yuki."

"My name is Mahad."

"Where are you from?"

"Egypt. You're Japanese, I take it?"

"Yeah. My name's actually Judai, but I found Jaden was always easier."

"I imagine so."

"What's got you all down in the dumps, big guy? Is it that thing?"

"What thing?"

She reached over and tapped the Ring, which he had forgotten he was holding. "That."

"Did you- Did you not get shocked?"

"Huh? Did I shock you with static electricity? Sorry, man."

"No, did the Ring not shock you?"

She shrugged again. "I didn't feel anything. I mean, it's a little warm for a piece of metal, but that just might be the sun."

Perhaps he was not as late as he thought. 

"Seriously, though, what had you thinkin' so hard? Normally tourists are too busy exploring to be bothered by their jewelry, no matter how massive it is."

"My friend is having a talk with his girlfriend in her apartment that they needed to be alone for. I was just thinking when you approached me."

"That's a pretty scary thinking face you've got, then." She sat back on her arms, closing her eyes to absorb some of the sun. "What did they need to talk about?"

"He had not told her what his job is."

"He's not a stripper, is he?"

He sputtered. "What?! No!"

She burst out into hysterical giggles. "Your face! Oh my god!"

He pouted. "That was rude."

She continued to chuckle, but righted herself. "Well, yeah, but it was totally priceless. I wish I'd have gotten a picture of that."

"You're not very funny."

"Oh, c'mon. I'm hilarious." She nudged him with her shoulder and he would have sworn she'd been doing it forever when he nudged her back. She snorted. "So, what is his job?"

"He's a guard, of sorts. If they were to continue their relationship to any serious degree, she would have to move to be with him. It would not be an easy choice."

"Ah. I getcha." She sighed lightly. "Some things in life are hard, but we gotta make the best out of them. If they've got a real thing going, then she'll go."

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't suggest he comes here, instead?"

"He's already up in her apartment, like you said. If he could leave his life there behind, I'm thinkin' he already would have."

"I suppose so."

"What are you doing here if he came to see his girlfriend?"

"We travel together for safety."

"Huh." She looked out over the bay. "It must be a really serious job."

"It is."

They sat in silence for a bit, listening to the waves break on the concrete wall at their feet and the children chase each other around the park. Strolling couples passed them by, joggers with dogs and old people out with their friends to enjoy the warmth. 

"Did you wanna get something to eat?" She asked suddenly. 

"Did you have a place in mind?"

"There's a really good American restaurant not far from here that serves pancakes all day." 

He looked behind him, at Yugi's apartment building two blocks away. "I have nowhere else to be."

"Awesome." She hopped to her feet, offering him her hand. "Let's go!"

* * *

Was this what it felt like for the others? Was this the impression Atem got when Yugi walked onto the dig site, the first time she'd spoken to him? Did Seth feel this enraptured when he'd woken up to Kisara wrapping a bullet wound in his arm?

Jaden was a voracious eater with a healthy appetite, but not messy. She spoke with vigour and life, animated in an excitable way. She paid rapt attention to him when he spoke, hanging off every word like she was memorizing them. It was like he'd been with her forever, like he'd grown up with her at his side. It was stunning and enthralling. He didn't know how Seth had ever torn himself away from Kisara enough to let her return to Austria; he wanted to kidnap Jaden and bring her home with him, keep her safe and protected and  _his_ just like the Ring. 

After their early dinner, they walked around the neighbourhood, talking about everything and anything that passed them by. She told him extravagant stories about the many places she had lived in her childhood, the way her parents had left her behind after her seventeenth birthday to live alone in Japan. She told him about all the friends she'd made and lost, the places she'd like t go again someday, the places she hadn't yet been to. She talked about Duel Monsters as well, how she had never been one place long enough to rank before moving back to Japan and how she wanted to enroll in the Academy, but wasn't sure if it was the right way to go about things. She wondered aloud about the weather, the funny clothes passing people wore, the darkening colour of the sky and the forecasted rain. 

"Hey, do you think you can go back to your friend's girlfriend's place now? You think they're done talking?"

He considered it. "Quite possibly." He checked his phone, but found no messages from anyone. "They've not called me to say."

"You can stay the evening with me, if you want. My apartment's not huge, but it's a place to go."

It felt like they'd been together for years. "You've only known me a day."

"And? People move in with total strangers all the time. What do you think dorms are?" She snorted. "But it's up to you."

He looked down the street, imagining walking into the space without Jaden there, finding Seth with Kisara and Atem with Yugi, all content. "If you are sure of your offer, then I think I would like to get to know you some more."

She gawked for a minute before laughing. "You mean you've been listening to me talk all day and you're not sick of me yet?"

"What is there to get tired of?"

She flushed a darling pink, but laughed again. "Oooh, I found myself a charmer! Better not get too cute with me or I won't be able to let you go!"

"And yet I find myself unopposed."

She nudged him again, tangling their fingers. "Eh, you might not right now."

"Perhaps." He conceded. It was likely not the best idea to open with the fact they were soulmates. Even if he did tell her, part of him was sure that she would laugh him off and not believe it anyway.

They continued talking all the way to her apartment, up the stairs and deep into the night. 

* * *

He awoke to light on his face, almost directly in his eyes. He groaned, a little stiff from his position, not to mention he was on a couch.  He shifted and began to stretch.

"Mmmeugh."

He noticed the weight of Jaden on his chest for the first time. She was laying on him, snuggled right up to him with her hand resting over top of the Ring. Contentment washed over him and it hurt his heart. He laid his hand over hers, but what he got was now what he was expecting. 

_There is fire, the screams of the damned and the defeated mingling together. Out of the darkness walks a figure clad in dark armour. The darkness sweeps out around them, extinguishing the flame, plunging everything into blackness except the shimmering gold plate of their eyes._

_"You have to have darkness in your heart." The figure, now revealed as a woman, speaks. "You have to have darkness inside of you to win. There is no other way."_

He pulled his hand away, looking down at Jaden as she began to stir. They sounded similar, but he knew for a fact they were not the same being. Something else was happening here. Something that was as evil as the Ring around his neck.

 

 


	3. Calypso

Across the world, he looked up from the runes he was reading, the light emanating from the tablet illuminating the whole room. 

"Finally." He grinned. 

* * *

"Can't sleep either, huh?"

Atem jolted, finding Seth's luminous eyes gazing at him from the depths of the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hands. 

"No. I'm getting dreams."

Seth sipped his beverage. "Do you think they've began?"

"I'm afraid so." Atem gazed darkly out the window, Seth coming to his side. "Did Mahad tell you?"

"About the girl he's been with these last three weeks?" Seth snorted. "He didn't have to."

"She's his soulmate."

"I don't doubt it. She's the only one besides Mana who ever put up with him like this." Seth paused consideringly. "And you, I suppose."

Atem elbowed him with a chastising frown, but the taller man just shrugged, unconcerned.

"I know I'm right." 

"Still."

"We're going to have to get him back here." Seth sipped again. "Bring her if we have to. They're not safe on their own." 

"I know." He frowned again. "Now, tell Mahad that."

* * *

"What's going on?" Yugi asked Kisara when Atem and Seth went to buy more coffee. All of hers had vanished. 

Kisara looked hesitant to speak, but seemed to decide she needed to know. "There are people who look to steal the Millennium Items and use them to conquer the world. To get them, they have to kill the Keepers. Lord Atem is worried that they're planning to strike while we're away from the stronghold."

"Oh." She didn't really know what to do with all that. "What do they think they'll accomplish? Can't an Item kill the person wearing it?"

Kisara hesitated again. "They make the person kill themselves. Someone sufficiently guarded against it can overcome it's abilities."

Well. That wasn't good. "Then why did you come all the way out here, with three of the seven Items no less?"

"Because of who they are, mostly. Atem is the Keeper of the Puzzle, the kingpin. Seth and Mahad are the only two able to protect him, to take down someone who might take the Puzzle and dominate it's powers. Mahad is the greatest wizard we have, the best in several generations. It seems to me that most of the soulmates have been foreign."

"Wow."

"Yeah." Kisara shuffled some. "Even over the Internet, you mean that much to Atem."

"That's . . . Wow." She looked down at her clasped hands. "That's a lot to take in."

Kisara took her hand, smiling gently. "I totally understand. But that's what this is. Take some solace in the fact the Items don't make mistakes."

* * *

Mahad wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her sharply and suddenly into an alley. Jaden looked up at him in confusion, raising an eyebrow. 

"What's up?" 

"We're being followed. Speak lowly." He replied. 

"Okay." She whispered. "Followed by who?"

"The Thief's men."

"That . . . means nothing to me."

"They are known commonly as the Society of Light."

"Oh, that weird cult? They've been trying to get me to join them since I applied to Duel Academy." 

He frowned. "They have?"

"Yeah." She blinked, a flash of colour coming across her eyes. "But I will not."

It wasn't the gold, but the voice wasn't proper on her either. Jaden was his soulmate, he was certain, but what that had in store for him, he couldn't guess. Green and red were not in the vision. 

"Jaden?"

She looked up at him, brown eyes darling once more. "Hmm?"

"Nothing." He made another sharp turn, but the men were picking up their pace. "We're going to have to start running soon. Trust where I lead."

"Gotcha."

He grabbed her hand, and as soon as they hit thoroughfare, he took off. 

* * *

"We have them, Lord."

"Good. Bring them to the docks and get them ready for transport. I want no traces."

"Yes, Lord."

* * *

"They've been gone a while." Kisara fretted in her quiet way. "I'll go check on them."

"I think they said they were at the park."

"Okay."

As soon as the door closed, Yugi snapped up, her entire body rigid. She had to get to Atem.

* * *

Mahad was glad Jaden had slipped away in the Melee. He just hoped that she wasn't foolish enough to try and save him.

Atem hoped that Yugi hadn't been found, especially when Seth started foaming at the mouth, a gun to Kisara's temple the only thing keeping him down.

The Items were taken, the Keepers at gunpoint, but the real weapons were on their way. 

 

 

 

 


End file.
